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US automobile safety regulators have commenced an probe into Tesla cars equipped with the autonomous driving system due to traffic-safety violations following several accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The federal safety agency stated that the automaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands motorists to stay alert and intervene if needed, had “induced vehicle behaviour that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the initial phase before possibly seeking a recall of the cars if the authority determines they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The regulatory body stated it had documented accounts of nearly 3 million Tesla vehicles running red traffic lights and moving against the incorrect direction during lane changes while operating the system.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, proceeded to drive into the crossroads despite the red signal and was subsequently part of a collision with other cars in the intersection”.

The agency reported that four crashes had caused one or more injuries.

Additional Issues Identified

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 reports and one media report alleging that Tesla cars, operating at an intersection with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the entire time of a red light, failed to stop fully, or did not properly recognize and display the proper traffic signal state in the car's display”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “did not provide warnings of the system's intended actions as the car was approaching a red traffic signal”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its Autopilot system, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority began an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles using FSD after four reported collisions in situations of reduced visibility, such as bright sunlight, fog or airborne dust. One such accident, in last year, was deadly.

Company's Official Stance

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “designed for operation by a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to assume control at any moment. While these features are engineered to become more capable, the presently active functions do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and real-world testing reveals potential challenges with existing deployments.